Busy Week September 30, 2011

I think I am starting to feel like we are really in. Into the townhouse. Rooms somewhat situated and decorated.

We really love the Asheville area and our townhouse is very close to all the convenient places to eat and shop. It’s so funny—you know you’re back in the South when you’re sitting at Cracker Barrel and overhear a young lady talking about what she is going to fix for dinner and it includes (in her accent): “squhsh and okerie.” (Squash and okra for those non-Southerners.

In my spare time this week, which has been very limited, I have been trying to organize my pictures from the trip. Oh, did I give you the final count. Just with my camera and not including movies I took, I ended up taking 18,682 pictures during our 4 month stay!

So I am trying to make a Shutterfly book of pictures from the trip and I got the 18,682 down to 1031, but that was STILL going to be hugely expensive, so I got it down further to 476. So we’ll see whn I get them into a book whether I can really afford said book and order it. Doesn’t look good.

On a note that I find extremely interesting: our temperature here tomorrow is supposed to be 37 degrees F!!! There will be snow on the mountains!!! We are making a quick trip to Atlanta for more things, but when we return, we may have Fall!!! Or winter!!!???

Still Unpacking September 24, 2011

It’s been another week of driving down to Atlanta, getting more from the storage building, and driving back. This time, we added in getting the Mustang and I drove it back. The drive here through the mountains is so pretty. I love the way the Smokies appear in the fog with the many layers of differently shaded mountaintops.

So we had emptied the garage here abut now it is full again. Another week of unpacking box by box. I have to admit it’s kind of like Christmas though. Opening a box not knowing what’s inside and finding something I really like.

Still haven’t seen the big black bear. Did see my sister and Katie and Russ and Otis—and it was very good to do so.

Did I mention that there are 36 stairs total from the front door to the bedroom? So in the process of unpacking, I am also getting in shape! Had a fun day today of imagineering the living room with Ray. Will post pictures of the new place when a room actually gets finished. Looking forward to that and to having a few “boring” days—days with nothing to do.

Catching Up September 17, 2011

It has been a week of hard work but fun. It was funny to move into a new place having NO idea what it looked like ahead of time. Yes, we had a floor plan, but it was difficult to get a feel for the place from it alone. Now that we have seen it, we LOVE it! Nice kitchen, very bright and airy, patio and balcony, and a garage! I haven’t seen our pet—the big black bear--yet, but will try to get a picture if I do—from a safe distance, of course.

We have gotten a lot done in the apartment but still have a lot to do. We have the first load of furniture in and most of the boxes unpacked. We now have interent and TV. We have a new dining room table and chairs and have bought, but not received yet, the living room set I have always wanted. And it was such a good deal! I actually pushed for the good deal with the seller—those good old Scott genes coming through, I suppose. Ray was happy as long as I got him a recliner thrown in. So it will all be delivered next week.

And I love being out and all of a sudden just noticing the gorgeous Smoky Mountains all around us. They surprise me every time and make me so happy. I love living in the mountains. I hear that they've had a LOT of snow up here the last two years, and no matter what the people say, I think I'm gonna love having snow! In Atlanta, it only happened like once every TEN years. And that includes snowflakes that didn't even stick! So to have a real snow--I will be thrilled! [Note to self--reread this in February and be sure I still feel the same way. : ) ]

And Margaret and Colin have done it again! I don’t know what magical powers they possess, but they seem to have some spell on both the mail systems in the UK and here in the US. No matter where we are, they manage to get cards and gifts to us delivered on exactly the day we arrive places! Their record for this is amazing. Even if it is in a hotel in Wales or a remote cabin on the Isle of Skye! And this time arranging somehow to be the first piece of mail we received here in Asheville when we arrived!!! It may even have beat us here!!! And such a cute New Home card it was. A very welcoming sight to see when we got here. Thanks, guys.

It has been an interesting week for weather, too. When we arrived in Atlanta, it was hot—93 degrees. Then we got up here to Asheville and it was in the 80s for 2 days. Now it has turned much cooler with the high of 58 yesterday. It feels like we are back in Scotland with really cool mornings and a breeze later in the day. The whole summer long in Scotland, it was too cool to wear my sandals. I get back to the States and get to wear them for 1 week and now it’s back to regular shoes. So this was the “Only-One-Week-of-Sandals Summer,” I suppose.

Those of you who actually read the blog—hi Margaret!--know that while I was in Melrose, we visited the area by family, the Scott Clan, came from. And on one of these visits to the Ettrick Valley and on our was to the Yarrow Valley, we saw a tall towerhouse in the distance. I spent hours trying to find out the name of the tower, to no avail. But now, I have it. Using the antique maps I consulted, I found that it is Kirkhope Tower. Yay!

Kirkhope Tower is a Scottish Pele tower located in the Ettrick Valley. It was presumably constructed by the early part of the 16th century in accordance with an act of theScottish Parliamenyt dated 1535 that required large landholders in the Borderlands to build Barmkins of Stone and Lime, sixty square feet in area and with walls of one Ell thickness and six Ells in height "for the resett and defense of him, his tennents, and his gudis in troublous tyme". Furthermore "with ane toure in the samen for himself gif he thinks it expedient. And that all ather landit men of smaller rent and reuenew (revenue) big (build) pelis and greit strenthis as they please for the saifing of thaimselfs, &c.; and that the said strenthis, barmkynis, and pelis be biggit and completit within twa yeris under pane."

Kirkhope was burnt and its stock removed in the early stages of the rough Wooing of Mary, Queen of Scots, by Henry VIII of England. Walter Scott of Harden was a notorious Border Reiver. The tower of Kirkhope was used as a residence of the eldest sons of the Scotts of Harden Castle, immediately to the west of Hawick. Young Wat Scott brought his bride and cousin Mary Scott of Dryhope, better known as the "Flower of Yarrow," back to Kirkhope prior to the death of his father William. Mary Scott was as renowned for her beauty as much as her mate was known for his belligerence. Wat Scott was later to be a supporter of Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell, and an unsuccessful warrant for his arrest was made in 1592 by James VI. Wat Scott, although the subject of many Border ballads, is perhaps best remembered by his wife's reaction to empty stores, presenting him with his spurs on a platter for dinner; a signal to ready his men for a raid.
Kirkhope came into the possession of Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch, widow of the Duke of Monmouth, in the early eighteenth century, and from mid-nineteenth century it was allowed to fall into a state of decay.

Kirkhope Tower was rescued from ruin in the later part of the twentieth century and by 1996 it was again in use as a private residence. It is now owned by Peter Clarke, a former Tory candidate and landowner. Clarke was spokesperson for “The Wild Beasts Trust,” a movement to reintroduce numerous wild species back into the United Kingdom. He was interviewed and gave a tour of Kirkhope Tower on the BBC TV programme "Castle in the Country."

That’s all for now. Will keep you updated on our progress with the place, whether we decide to look for houses now or wait until later, and on our big black bear.

Pictures of Kirkhope Tower.

Our New Home September 12, 2011

The other day on the ship, we watched the movie, “The Cave of Forgotten Dreams.” It was all about this cave that has been discovered in Southern France with art work on the walls from 32,000 years ago. Access to the cave has recently be stopped as people coming and going had started a mold to grow on the artwork. The paintings were incredible. The cave is called Chauvet (“Shaw-vee”). At the end, Werner Herzog, the director, shows the location of the cave as being just over some mountains where there sits a large Nuclear power plant. As he shows the scene, he talks about how bad it would be if there was an explosion at the nuclear power plant that damaged the cave. He talks about a park that was built nearby that has albino alligators and in some weird convoluted way says he wonders what the albino alligator would think if he were to swim into the cave—how this would happen escaped me. Anyway, the news this morning is very disturbing as it reported an explosion at a nuclear reactor in Southern France, and I believe this may well be the one that is near the cave.

Well, we are very tired, but we packed up about ¼ of our things and headed for Asheville this morning. Interesting to remember that we are back in the South when we see signs advertising Chow Chow, another sign for a bar called Bo-Dean’s, and then the wonderful North Carolina Welcome sign. We unloaded the items from the truck and trailer, Ray put the bed and the kitchen table together, then we headed for the hotel. We wanted to air out the apartment as it has been closed up since they put in brand new carpet, which I am very happy about. Would’ve been happier with hardwood floors, but we didn’t get to choose.

We LOVE the new apartment. Very spacious and all we see out the back windows is trees. And it has a HUGE garage, which will come in very handy. Oh, and we have a pet, it seems—a big black bear!!! He has been seen in the neighborhood and attacks birdfeeders to get the seeds. So no birdfeeders to be left out at night. Leann, our apartment manager, says he will probably be around til the end of October then go on his way. Looking forward to getting all set up in the new place, but right now, we only brought up the bare minimum of furniture.

Tomorrow is shopping for a washer/dryer and a sofa or futon and more unpacking. Fun, fun, fun. Brilliant golden full moon hanging in the sky tonight. Asheville, we are home!

Picture of road sign showing the way to the Bat Cave!!!

Preparing for Home September 11, 2011

I must say how very nice it is not to be running around with so much to see and do anymore. At least for a while. And it is VERY nice to be back home where I know where things are. And if I don’t have something, I know where to go to get it. And how things work. Just simple things like our insurance and setting up utilities. The steps are written in Americanese. And believe me, there is such a thing.

Now that we are home, there are things to do—lots, as a matter of fact—in setting up the new place. But for some reason, it all seems much more low-stress now.

Drove over to visit my parents this morning with Purple Haze playing on the radio, and suddenly, it was like I was a teenager again. Going back to those times all over again. Good visit with Mother and Daddy. Now to pack up our things and get ready to move tomorrow. Finally—yay!!!

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

The cathedral exterior; soaring arches inside; Fire Department of New York memorial; Rose Window; Professions Stained Glass.

Buildings of New York

The Dakota where John and Yoko lived; secret FBI building; Chelsea Market; “melting” building; strange and very interesting parking solution.

Signs

Times Square; interesting name for a business; a sign that is SO true.

Movies by Ray

Statue of Liberty




Cathedral of St. John the Divine

New York, New York, What a Wonderful Town…. September 10, 2011

This morning I got up at 3:40 in order to be outside to see the Statue of Liberty as we sailed into New York Harbor. I’ve seen movies many times—Yentl, Sleepless in Seattle, Titanic—about coming into New York, and with all my studying of genealogy and immigrants coming to America through New York, well, I have to say, it was quite meaningful to me. And to see where the Twin Towers stood only 10 years ago. Well, we sailed right past the sites without much talking and a lot of respect for this city and the memories of the tragedy.

I was up in the Crow’s Nest watching as we neared the Verranzano Bridge and I thought I saw what looked like the Statue of Liberty—just a thin line of gray with a light at the top is what it looked like from way out. All the other people up there kept saying it was much further in, on the other side, anywhere but there. But I was proven right when we slowed got closer and she came into view. Everyone was congratulating me on being the first to see her. She is very pretty, I must say, and it was a very moving experience.

We also saw the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. Then a very special site—the building that was lit up in red, white, and blue lights—the new #1 World Trade Center building that was lit only yesterday for this weekend’s events.

Sitting right near where we docked is the Intrepid (the aircraft carrier that was involved in the NASA rescues) and a huge Concorde from British Airways! Also right here behind where we are docked is where Captain Sullenberger ditched the plane safely.

We had breakfast at 5:30. I have to say that this cruise was probably our very favorite ever. We had a really great Captain who was very accessible and kept the guests informed on every detail of the hurricane and other weather related issues. We have NEVER had a more friendly Captain, that’s for sure. And because he stayed in touch & was so knowledgeable about hurricanes, we felt very confident in his abilities. He let us know every step in his thinking and why he was changing course at certain times. On past cruises, we never saw the Captain and only heard from him once a day as he spoke in rote of the details of our location. No personality at all. We were very lucky this time.

We got off the ship at 7:30am and went on a 2 ½ hour bus tour that was supposed to be of Lower Manhattan where we would have seen Times Square, Union Plaza, Rockefeller Center, Battery Park with the Statue of Liberty, Greenwich Village, Central Park, Soho, the Empire State Building, Chinatown, and Ground Zero. I have to admit that when Ray booked this cruise, neither of us thought about it being the 10th Anniversary weekend of the September 11th tragedy. But since the recent threats, we have been informed by our tour guide that we won’t be able to get to any of these sites as they are closed off for this weekend. So…..

Instead we took a very interesting tour with Mike who has lived in New York for 30 years and seemed to know EVERYTHING about the city. So we visited Times Square, Hell’s Kitchen, Harlem, Broadway, went by 34th Street, walked through Chelsea Market, walked on the Hi Line, drove by the Soup Nazi’s store, Lincoln Center, Julliard, the Dakota, Central Park, all the buildings where the stars live, the 1st Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital, Columbia University, the Apollo Theater, toured the Catholic Church of St. John the Devine, the Bronx, and the Tri-Boro Bridge. Whew!

Interesting facts we learned today:

--We drove by the stables for the Hanson Cabs (horse-drawn carriages through Central Park for $50 for 20 minutes).

--Some of the areas we drove past had 1 bedroom condos for sale for $5 million.

--Saw signs for the play “Wicked.”

--There are 38 movie theatres on 42nd Street. When King Kong was playing, it played on all 38 at the same time.

--5th Avenue divides the city east and west. New Yorkers don’t refer to North or South. If you say North they think Canada. If you say South, they think Florida. You are either going uptown or downtown. It is a direction, not a place.

--population of New York is 8 ½ million people in 5 burroughs.

--At the Chelsea Market, we stopped and walked through the lovely little shops. The Nabisco Biscuit Company began here. Oreos are 99 years old! The Oxygen network and the Food Network broadcast from here. I stopped in at one of the bakeries and bought the moistest coconut macaroons I have ever tasted. And a nut brownie. Right across from the Chelsea Market is the FBI and their cars were illegally parked all over the place. But they can do that because they have special badges in the windshields. The Hi Line is the old rail line that used to bring dairy supplies to the bakeries here. It is now a park that has been created by Diane von Furstenburg and her husband. It is 1 ½ miles long and elevated above the streets.

--Saw buildings designed by Frank Geary and some by Clement Clark Moore of “Twas the Night before Christmas” fame!

--At the Charter School, the tuition for all grades K-12 is $45,000 per year.

--at the Yotel hotel, a robot takes your luggage and stores it for you.

--the new #1 World Trade Center at Ground Zero will be the tallest in the city at 1776 feet high.

--our guide recommended the 414 Hotel.

--we saw where stars such as Jerry Seinfeld, Helen Gurley Brown, Barbara Streisand, Kyra Segwick & Kevin Bacon live and lived.

--Central Park didn’t have any trees before it was developed in 1853. It was all bedrock and swamps. It now encompasses 843 acres and runs 2 ½ miles north to south and ½ mile east to west. The city of Monaco would easily fit inside the park. There are tunnels for taxis to cut through inside of going on the park roads.

--To buy a condo here, you have to be approved by the housing committee for that building. Madonna was turned down by 13 buildings before she got one. Mainly you get turned down if your presence would cause a hassle for the other residents because of security needs or crowds of fans, etc.

--the 1st Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital was a beautiful building with circular turrets because the belief by doctors then was that germs lived in corners, so they had no corners in the circular rooms of the turrets. The building is now condos and they cost $3 million dollars each.

--The Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Devine is the largest in the world! And I thought you could only find these magnificent cathedrals in Europe!! It was built in 1892 and is so large that it can hold the Cathedral of Notre Dame! It was built by hand and they actually taught the children in the neighborhood the art of stone carving. It is 601 feet long. And it isn’t even finished as if doesn’t have the “arms” that were intended. There are 19 cathedrals in New York. Today while we were there, they were having a wedding and we think it was of a gay male couple—good for them! It's about time! Our guide took us into the church and showed me the stained glass that was related to sports, and to professions and human endeavors. There was a Poets Corner in one of the bays that honored American literary greats. One even had a TV and Jack Benny playing the fiddle! There was a garden here and a Peach Fountain. There were supposed to be 3 peacocks—one white and 2 colored—but they had evidently “flown the coop” as they say.

Building of the Cathedral has been a stop and start process over the years meaning that has two distinctive styles of architecture, going from Romanesque to Gothic. A fire in 2001 destroyed the North Transept and caused extensive smoke damage.

--so cool to see one of the actual New York hot dog stands.

--found Monk’s Restaurant used in the Seinfeld series—it’s really Tom’s Restaurant.

--Drove by the Broadway Firehouse Engine 54, Ladder 4 & Battalion 9 that lost 15 of its 16 firemen on September 11.

--A theatre is considered Broadway NOT by its location but by how many seats it has. Above 500 seats is Broadway; 100-500 seats is Off-Broadway; less than 100 is Off Off Broadway.

--Drove by the Soup Nazi store.

--The Hearst Publishing Building had a stone bottom 6 floors and glass above that.

--Lincoln Center is where the setting for West Side Story was before the center was built. Juilliard is next to it.

--A sobering location across from Central Park is the Dakota. This is where Yoko Ono and John Lennon lived and where he was shot. Across from it in Central Park is where Yoko set up Strawberry Fields with a donation of $1 million. She stopped a statue being placed there of John as she said he wouldn’t have liked it. All kinds of plants from all over the world are planted there. Joe Namath also lives at the Dakota and “Rosemary’s Baby” was filmed there.

--At the San Remo lives Steve Martin, U2’s Bono, and many other stars.

--Harlem was a Dutch area at first, then White Jewish, then Black in the 1920s, then Italian, and now Puerto Rican and Mexican.

--At the Apollo Theatre, many people got their start on Amateur Nights including Tony Bennett, James Brown, and Ella Fitzgerald. If the crowds loved you, you became a star. If they hated you, you got booed until the Sandman came on with a hook and took you off by the neck. James Brown lost the competition then later won. Ella Fitzgerald won her audition with a dance partner! On the date of her audition, her partner got cold feet and didn’t’ show up. So she went on by herself and SANG—and the rest if history. She didn’t know which song to sing as she had practiced, so she just sang a song from her childhood—“A Tisket a Tasket.” But she forgot the words and started making up words, and thus was born the art of “scatting!”

--The Bronx was just a family farm owned by a Swedish family, I think the guide said. Their names was spelled Broncks. It is the only part of New York that is on the mainland. The rest is on islands.

--crossed the Tri-Boro Bridge to get to LaGuardia.

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and now want to go back to see more of it.

After our tour, we arrived at the airport early. Ate at Pat La Frieda. Watched some of the ceremonies for September 11th events. Flew home to Atlanta at 4pm and landed before 7pm. All luggage arrived safely so I am happy. Met Luanne to get the truck then to hotel. Back out for groceries and dinner then crashing.

Pictures from top: Landmarks of New York

Statue of Liberty; Statue of Liberty in the dark so hard to get an unblurred picture; the new #1 World Trade Center building; Empire State Building from the ship; Empire State Building on our tour.

Packing for Home September 9, 2011

Uh oh, you should see the early morning sky this morning. You know the old saying: Red sky at morning, sailor take warning. Well, this was a beautiful but red sky on the horizon. Last night, the Captain informed us that he has changed our route in to New York to lessen the effects of Hurricane Katia as we get within 300 miles of her western edge. Instead of going straight from Halifax to New York, we are taking more of a hugging-the-coast route until we get around Cape Cod. Not expecting anything more than some winds and rain, nothing to worry about.

Today our plan was to spend all day packing up our luggage in preparation for flying to Atlanta tomorrow. But in reality, it only took us a couple of hours to do the packing. I threw away SO much stuff, not because we didn’t have room but I just didn’t want to tote it around anymore. We’ll disembark in New York then take a tour of the city with our luggage underneath the coach. And yes, we are aware of the terror threats--of all the weekends to be coming through New York--but we aren’t worried. We will be vigilant. Then to LaGuardia where we catch a 4pm flight to Atlanta. After that, it’s packing up the absolutely necessary stuff from the storage building to take to North Carolina and on Monday, driving to our new home. Long process finally coming to fruition. Whew! I just want to be home and into our new place. So looking forward to it and to everyone coming to visit—in the apartment and when we get our new house.

I did see a whale spouting this afternoon, so that was cool.

Picture of red sky at morning

Halifax, Nova Scotia September 8, 2011

I hear bagpipes playing, so we have either turned around and gone back to Scotland or we have docked at Halifax! Yay, it’s Halifax!

No shore excursion for us today—we decided to go it on our own. We docked at Pier 20, and Pier 21 is where emigrants arrived. It is the only remaining immigration shed and there is a research center here. Nearly 1,000,000 people arrived at the pier between 1928 and 1971. During the US Revolutionary War, some Quakers left Cape Cod and moved to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Dartmouth’s Quaker House has been restored to its original condition. Also at the end of the 1800s, more than 3000 African American Loyalists emigrated to Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia province includes some 3800 coastal islands. Nova Scotia, consisting of Cape Breton Island and a mainland peninsula, is one of Canada’s smallest provinces. Only PEI is smaller.

Fairview Lawn Cemetery, the final resting place for over one hundred victims of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, is here in Halifax. When it sank on the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic took the lives of 1,497 of the 2,209 people aboard with it. There are plaques explaining the Halifax involvement with the tragedy.

Most notable of the graves is the one of the unidentified child (who has since been identified) who was “adopted” by the rescue squad and for whom they then held a large funeral. No one claimed the fair-haired body of what looked to be a 2 year old child, so he was buried with funds provided by the sailors of the CS Mackay-Bennett, the cable ship that recovered his body 5 days after the ship sank. In November 2002, the child was identified as 13 month old Eino Biljami Panula (Row 4, #4) of Finland. Eino, his mother, and 4 brothers all died in the Titanic disaster. After additional forensic testing, the unknown child was RE-identified as 19 month old Sidney Leslie Goodwin, an English child who perished with his entire family. Children’s toys are still left on this grave today.

Many of the graves are simply marked with a number (the order in which the bodies were found) and no name. An eerie sight to see row after row of the grave markers inscribed with the same haunting date—April 15, 1912.

On Row 2, # 227, there is the grave of a Mr. J. Dawson that has no relation to the fictional Jack Dawson in the film but is still visited by many teenage girls who leave flowers and ticket stubs here. The grave in fact belongs to Joseph Dawson, an Irishman who worked in Titanic’s boiler room as a coal trimmer. He was 23 years old, born in 1888 to a very poor widow and a widower father who had “jumped the wall” to escape becoming a priest. There is no record of his parents ever being married.

There are some similarities between fact and fiction however—both were young men, both largely penniless, who “gambled” their way aboard Titanic. One worked with coal the other wielded charcoal in his drawings. Both were bound up with beautiful sweethearts—the real Dawson was in love with a ship’s fireman’s sister, Nellie. The ship’s fireman (John Priest who survived the disaster) filled Dawson’s head with tales of the sea, encouraging him to sign up for work on the Titanic.

On Row 2, # 300 is the burial place of William Denton Cox, a heroic steward who died while escorting 3rd class passengers to the lifeboats. Cunard still pays $7500 per year for the cemeteries upkeep. There is a story of a man who went to a garage sale here in Halifax and saw a kitschy lifejacket with Titanic written on it. He bought it for $1. Later Antiques Roadshow came to town and the man took it in only to find out that it was genuine! It sold for thousands of dollars.

One hundred twenty-one victims of the Titanic are interred here, more than at any other cemetery. Most have a small gray granite marker with their name and date of death. Some families paid for larger markers. Many of the graves are marked with only a number—the order in which the bodies were found—and no name. The graves are laid out in 3 long lines of graves following the contours of the sloping site. By coincidence, the curved shape suggests the outline of the bow of a ship.

Another tragedy was the Great Halifax Explosion of 1971. Two ships (one carrying 5.85 metric tons of TNT) collided and destroyed a huge part of the city. Within ½ mile, nothing survived—people or buildings. Thousands of people died. Within 1 mile became dangerous and uninhabitable. The explosion caused a 60 foot tsunami that caused further damage. Six thousand people were left homeless. An anchor that is now displayed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and weighs more than 1000 pounds was found nearly 2 ½ miles from the epicenter of the explosion! The people of Halifax were so grateful to Boston for their help during the tragedy that every year since then, Halifax has provided Boston with its Christmas tree.

Interesting facts:

--2nd largest natural harbour in world. Sydney, Australia, is the largest.

--The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic also has a deck chair from the Titanic.

--The Cunard liner Carpathia was the first to arrive on the scene of the disaster and rescued about 700 survivors. The White Atar Line dispatched four Canadian vessels to look for bodies. The first ship recovered 306 bodies, 116 of which were buried at sea. The second ship found 190 bodies and the third only 17, 2 of which were buried at sea. In all, 209 bodies were brought back to Halifax and buried in 3 cemeteries, but class barriers were carefully respected even in death as the bodies of first-class passengers were unloaded from the ships in coffins, 2nd and 3rd class in canvas bags, and crew on open stretchers.

--Samuel Cunard was born in Halifax.

The last formal dinner for this cruise tonight. Tonight’s entertainment is Dale Kristien, the star of Phantom of the Opera. I don’t know where he starred, but that’s what the program says. We have only gone to one show this whole cruise, so we’ll see if we make it to this one. One more day at sea then New York here we come!!!

Pictures from around Halifax

Bad Memories of the Italy Train

When we went to Europe in 2009, our ship docked in Rome, and we took an overnight train from there to Paris and on to London. I wrote extensively about how the train we had booked looked NOTHING like the train that arrived to take us on our trip, but I was in such shock that I didn’t think to take a picture of it at the time. Well, today, we were walking past the Pier 21 Museum of Immigration here in Halifax, and there was a train outside that was in MUCH better shape than the one we took in Rome, but it was from about the same year, around 1940. So here is the picture of today’s train and now you can see how this looks nothing like the sleek modern speedy train on which we bought our luxury ensuite cabin from the website. Ours did have separate cabins, but it was no bigger than a very small closet, and I’m not exaggerating. We could sit on the “sofa” & reach our arms out without stretching and touch the opposite wall. This sofa was also our bed. Well, one of them. Just a hard padded cushion that was less than a twin size. The other bed you had to let down from the wall like a put-away-bunk bed above the other one. And the ensuite bathroom? A tiny dollhouse size sink and nothing else. The bathroom was down a long MOVING erratically hallway that was treacherous to navigate in the middle of the night. So you can imagine what I had envisioned—the picture showed a honeymoon suite with a large circular bed and a gorgeous bathroom--and now can see what we got, only this would have been an upgrade to the one we got. : (

Day at Sea September 7, 2011

Restful night of sleep then woke at 5am to more bad weather. Ship rolling and tossing in the seas and I don’t think this is hurricane-related. Just normal North Atlantic storms for this time of year. Not that the recent hurricanes haven’t wreaked havoc on the weather systems lately. Our Captain made a special hurricane TV program for us yesterday explaining what he predicts Hurricane Katia will do as we near her. Current predictions are that she will have turned out to sea by then but we’ll still get within 300 miles of her. That means not so much wind but lots of rain. And he explained that the tropical depression we went through near Greenland WAS the remnants of Irene; she just wasn’t a hurricane anymore by then.

Captain came over intercom system to tell us that winds now are 70mph—up into hurricane range though this is not a hurricane. Interesting. He has closed the upper decks again. In the rolling of the seas in the heavy winds, there is the danger of someone falling overboard or just being unstable on deck. And the doors to the decks are very heavy and hard to handle in heavy winds. Still not the least bit seasick. Must be because I was allowed the first part of the cruise to “get my sea legs” as they say. Hope my luck with this continues.

Cape Spear & at the Dock

From top: gift shop at Cape Spear—only the very right part is the tiny “only big enough to turn around in” shop—AND it looks like they have ropes on the roof so they can tie the building down in storms!!!; the newer lighthouse; the old historic lighthouse; funny sign that made me think of Star Trek; the Newfoundland that greeted us on the dock.

St. John’s, Newfoundland September 6, 2011

Today we are in Canada!!! And only 4 days away from home!

St. John’s is the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the Avalon Peninsula. Norseman Bjarni Herjolfasson sighted Newfoundland in 986AD, making him the first European to sight the new World—so many disputes over who was first in this area. Bristol sea captain John Cabot rediscovered and named Newfoundland in 1497.

Signal Hill is a hill overlooking St. John’s Harbor which dates back to 1497 and has been given National Historic Site status. Cabot Tower on Signal Hill is where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. The trail is right on the cliffs and can be treacherous if it’s wet. There are wooden walkways in some areas but one spot had only a chain fixed to the rocks to hold on to. Eventually the trail winds up the hill away from the cliffs. The climb up to Cabot Tower is a steep set of steps. It is also noted in the history books as the last North American landmark Charles Lindbergh sighted during his solo flight to Paris in 1927. Whales, iceberg, and mosse are sometimes spotted from here. This beautiful place is also where the public gallows were set until the practice was suspended in the 19th century.

St. John’s has 150,000 residents, most of English or Irish descent. Disaster has struck the city many times with fires devastating the city, but they always rebuilt with tradition in mind, so there is old world charm here, including the cobbled streets. High tea, rum, and fried cod tongues rank among the most popular restaurant orders. There is a tradition of becoming a Newfoundler or a “Newfie” by kissing a cod, eating bologna (the Newfoundland steak), and drinking a drink called Screech—a kind of bitter Jaimacan rum and a whiskey shot. You also have to take the drink then say the saying “Long may your big jib draw.” And if you mess up, you have to take another drink and try again til you get it right. Sounds like something I wouldn’t want to try. Christians Bar is the best place to go to become a Newfie. On George Street, there are more bars than anywhere else in the world. The piers are lined with vessels from all over the world.

Avalon colony here is Canada’s (& North America’s) oldest settlement, founded in 1621 by George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore. St. John’s has an interesting mix of architecture with brightly colored wooden houses, stone churches, colonial buildings, and modern commercial structures. Also here is Government House, Garrison Church, and the Basilica of St. John the Baptist—designed in the shape of a cross with twin towers reaching a height of 137 feet and an ornate ceiling with intricate gold leaf design. St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York was based on plans for the Basilica here. Duckworth Street’s old wood-frame houses are very pretty.

We had a special welcome from Step Fiddlers, a Newfoundland Dog and a Labrador Retriever. Signal flags with a message of welcome were flying at Cabot Tower on top of Signal Hill.

Unfortunately, Ray is feeling sick—a consequence of too many temperature changes over the last week has caused his sinuses to rebel—but he still decided to go on our shore excursion. Also unfortunately the bus didn’t seem to have air conditioning even though the driver said it was on full blast. It was only 78 degrees, but after being in the 30s for weeks, it seemed VERY hot to us.

Our shore excursion traveled to Signal Hill then through the city of St. John and out to Quidi Vidi (pronounced “Kiddy Viddy”), a small fishing village within St. John’s with interesting houses stacked on the hill. We passed the blue church of St. Thomas that was almost lifted off the ground in a storm. They had to add two wings to keep it anchored down. We had the chance to tour the Basilica of St. John the Baptist and Government House. Then we drove out to Petty Harbour where we shopped at the little store. Then it was on to Cape Spear, an escarpment jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean and the most easterly point in North America, at least according to Canada. Remember Greenland also claims this distinction. At Cape Spear there were 2 lighthouses, one in use and the old historic one from 1836—the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland. Seven generations of the Cantwell family have lived here. At one point, 30 people lived int he one lighthouse. It is done in British Classicism style with much symmetry—9 windows on each wall and all walls look alike. The views were spectacular with the water crashing against the rocks.

Interesting facts we learned on our trip:

--St. John’s is known as the windiest, rainiest, coldest, foggiest, and snowiest city in North America. It is also hilly like San Francisco.

--Newfoundland only joined Canada in 1949 with a vote of only 51% of its people for joining.

--Signal Hill is one of 3 stations that picked up Titanic;s distrees call—Halifax and New York were the other two.

--Signal Hill is so steep that people who live on the approach up to the tower park at the bottom in winter and climb up as it is too icy and snowy to drive up.

--The TV show “Republic of Doyle” is filmed in Newfoundland. The movies “Orca” and “Rare Birds” were filmed in Petty Harbour.

--There are folk tales of people who were hung onSignal Hill being rolled down & into the pond below.

--It is prohibited to fish for cod here since 1992 since it was overfished and almost extinct in this area up til then.

--We learned several Newfoundland expressions:
--“Long may your big jib draw.” Means long may you have wind in your sails, have a long life.
--“What are you at, bye?” means How are you? The “bye” is kind of like our “man.” They also add “heh?” to the ends of questions. “Nice church, heh?”
--To tell someone your hair is messy, you’d say, “My hair is like a birch broom in the fits.”

--Allan Doyle is from the St. John’s area and is seen here with Russell Crowe a lot. They are friends and even acted in “Robin Hood” together.

--It is blueberry picking season and we saw many people out picking.

--The temps in winter get down to minus 10 to minus 20 Centigrade and they get 350 cm of now per year—that’s a lot!

--And finally, because the air conditioner wasn’t working well, we got to hear our guide apologize all day long using the word that I love to hear Canadians say: “Sore-ree.”

Dinner back on the ship and we are off for another day at sea then to Halifax. We hear that Hurricane Katis is probably headed out to sea, so hopefully she decides to keep that path. I AM READY TO BE HOME.

Pictures from top: our ship from Signal Hill at dock in St. John’s; lighthouse at Signal Hill; two of the stained glass windows in Basilica of St. John the Baptist—I picked out the two that could be Mary Magdalene; the elaborate ceiling of the Basilica.

On our Way to Canada! September 5, 2011

The Northern Lights are a colorful dance of lights in the night sky formed by the interplay of charged particles from the solar wind and from the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. The show is usually only visible between late August and early May when visibility reveals a glowing sheet across the sky or a dance of vivid colors. We’re here at the right time, but, unfortunately, we had only cloudy, overcast skies during our visit to the Arctic area. So I am still waiting for my chance to see the Northern Lights.

Today we are at sea and making our way to Newfoundland. Unfortunately, our weather is also going to cause some problems in comfort. The Captain told us yesterday that we are expecting 24 foot seas and 55 mph winds, so this ship is going to move MUCH more than it has recently. Unfortunately, the winds are actually consistently 65mph and gusting to 73mph. Ray says I don’t even want to look out the window as the horizon is moving up and down drastically. I don’t know if this is hurricane-related or just normal North Atlantic storms. The Captain says its just two fronts meeting and the barometer was 995, which is as low as a hurricane. It is called a Polar Frontal Depression.

I won’t be doing much today as Ray says going on the upper decks is like being on a crazy sadistical elevator with the floor going up and down and up and down. Amazingly, I haven’t been seasick at all this time, even though it’s much more motion to the boat this cruise. But I’m not taking any chances. So I will entertain myself with movies on TV, reading books, and card games on my laptop.
Strangely tonight we will set our clocks back HALF an hour. Weird. Tonight was another formal night—5 on this cruise total, so we dressed up again.

We had an announcement from the Captain today informing us that Hurricane Katia may cause us some problems. He is talking with the National Hurrican Service and staying updated by them on where she will be and when. Supposedly her track leads her right to New York at the moment—she would be about 300 miles south when we get there. But that could easily change. This may cause some changes in our plans, but we’ll see.

Nanortalik, Greenland September 4, 2011

Nanortalik is Greenland’s most southerly town and lies in a scenic are of fjords, woodlands, and steep mountains. It lies at the mouth of the magnificent Tasermiut fjord which is 45 miles long with granite peaks on each sides that are 6000 feet high. Population is 1500. The harbor is very small so we have to anchor here and tender in. The dominant landmarks here are not buildings but a ring of mountain peaks known locally as “the skyscrapers.”

The name of the town means “Place of the Polar Bears.” It isn’t surprising to see a polar bear hitchhiking on an ice floe from the Arctic Ocean—although I think this would be MOST surprising to me. Icebergs are frequently seen at the harbor. This is a town of about 1500 people that was established in 1797. In town is a beautiful wooden church built in 1914-16, a tourist office, and an open-air museum with a gift shop. The wood and stone houses are so brightly colored here, especially on the west side of town. You can climb up to the flagstaff for a view of the surrounding area. The Arctic Charm flower is a beautiful little reddish pink flower that is abundant here. The Greenland language is like the others in the North Atlantic and we saw signs like “Nuugaarssuk” and “Kalistorfip Aqqutaa.”

Large boulders are randomly strewn around town. The one near the church resembles a human form and is in honor of the national hero, Knud Rasmussen. Memorials in the vicinity are tributes to citizens lost in fishing or hunting accidents. The southern tip of Greenland is at Cape Farewell, which in Greenlandic is Nunaap which means “the lands end,” so now we have gone to yet another lands end.

Tasermiut Fjord nearby has sheer walls. The Tasermiut Glacier has steep granite columns that explode from the sea. The ruined settlements near Cape Farewell were also Norse base camps. Herjolfsnaes was the point of departure for the 11th century Viking expedition to North America. Most Greelenadic people are of Innuit descent. Their cousins live in communities all across Canada, Alsaka, and Siberia. The last wave of migrating Inuits reached the island only about 130 years ago. About 20% of he 55,000 people here are foreign born and the majority are Danish. Greenland belongs to the Danish Kingdom, but since Home Rule in 1979, the local government has been moving toward relative independence based on Parliamentary democracy. Fish and fish products and seal and whale hunting are the main occupations. As much as 20% of the population still depends on these food sources for survival. The Inuit tupilak I mentioned earlier were once made from bone or ivory. They are small amulets and some of them are frightful.

Midnight sun occurs during the summer here. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set on June 21. In Uummannaq (Greenland’s far north), the sun rises on May 16 and doesn’t set again until July 28. We went into Nanortalik on a tender and just as we arrived, the sleet began. We were wrapped warmly, so we weren’t cold, but it made it more difficult to enjoy the scenery. The colored houses were very pretty and one red building that looked like a school was beautiful. We visited the tourist office for a pin then walked over to the church where we heard the choir singing. Very pretty. We walked along the street Lundip Aqqutaa past the church to reach the old harbor. Here were the oldest buildings in Nanortalik, most from the 19th century.
The museum is housed in a few of these buildings and has old kayaks and tupilaks on display. Behind the Museum was a Sod House, the kind being used by Inuits for centuries. We also strolled along the street Kalistorfip Aqqutaa in the western part of town to see a row of the colorful houses.

September is a great time to spot whales here. Minke whales, Humpbacks, and Killer whales are common. But we didn’t see any. Once around the village and we were back on the tender and headed back to the ship. There were no shore excursions here or anything else to do. I heard that an iceberg was blocking the regular tender spot so we had to use another.

In 982AD, Viking explorer Erik the Red was banished for the second time from his Viking community. His first exile was for killing a man in Norway after a long feud. He was sent to Iceland. The second time was for avenging the deaths of two of his servants. With his crew, he discovered a new home and called it Greenland to attract other settlers. The Norse colonies disappeared from Greenland about 600 years ago during a mini Ice Age. But the Inuits survived. The oldest structures in Nanortalik are from the 11th century—from the first Viking camps established by visiting hunters from settlements in the north. The modern port of Nanortalik was established in 1797 as a whaling and sealing station. Greenland is the world’s largest island—Australia is considered a continent.

Pictures from top: grocery sign in Nanortalik; building with a glowing red light—wonder what it could be?; little blue house on the rocks that Ray & I liked; museum buildings; church.

Movie taken in Nanortalik, Greenland

Pretty Nanortalik

Houses and school in Nanortalik

Icebergs! Dead Ahead! Prince Christian Sound September 3, 2011

We woke up super early this morning (4:30 am) to try to see whales before we entered the Sound. It was SO cold outside, so we dressed warmly. In past years, they have seen up to 80 fin whales and blue whales in this area. Also possible to see are minke whales, humpbacks and killer whales. Our cruise director said he saw one killer whale, but no one else saw any. Seals are also abundant being the most important food source for the people here. Ringed seal, Harp seal, and Hodded seal are most common. The Harp seals often stay together in a group of 10-30 individuals who often “jump” out of the water. From a distance, this looks like the water is boiling. Our cruise director said he saw several seals, but we saw none. The largest bird here is the White tailed Eagle, which is quite common and often seen in flocks up to 6 hovering together. A person I was talking to had just seen an eagle fly by, but I didn’t see it. In other words, we are zilch in the wildlife department today. But we aren’t disappointed because we saw so much more.

As we entered the sound, on the port side of the ship was the weather station. There is a long white stairway that runs up over the rocks from the shore to the station. Five people stay here in this remote location year round with supplies brought in for them. Icebergs from the east coast of Greenland are brought into the Sound by the current and get stuck here. I was so excited to see my first ever iceberg! And throughout the day we must’ve seen hundreds in all sizes and shapes and colors. One was a brilliant astounding blue! And at another, the Captain sent out a rescue boat to gather some iceberg ice for drinks!

Glaciers with their blue ice reach down to the shore. We saw five glaciers today. We are one of the few ships to cruise this Sound and the Captain made several “on a dime” turns and got us into several narrow fjords, one that had never been navigated by a cruisehsip before (Tangnera, which was a dead end and we had to turn in a circle to get out). Steep mountains, icebergs, glaciers, narrow passages, blue ice, waterfalls so close you could almost touch them—it couldn’t have been better. Even the weather cooperated—no fog, no rain, just cold. The temperature in the middle of the day was 2 degrees Celsius & that’s without wind chill figured in. And I stood outside on deck from 5:15am until 4:30pm with only a break for lunch and one for a short nap.

We passed a settlement of about 100 people at Aappilattoq (“the read place”) at the bottom of a tall mountain. It is one of the most remote villages in Greenland. The houses stand on a very small ness below an almost vertical 2970 foot high mountain. The steep slopes extend directly to the shoreline so it is impossible to walk farther than 1.2 miles from the settlement without coming to a dead end. Polar bears are frequently seen by the locals here even in the summer time. When the pack ice closes off the village (from late autumn until July), they can’t use a boat any longer and have to get in and out by helicopter.

Jon Sigurdsson has friends here and he went over on a rescue boat to deliver the children in the village some treats and pizzas from the ship! They sent back whale meat, seal meat, and halibut for the crew.

The real name of this channel in Greenlandic is Ikerasassuaq, which means the long channel. We are only able to do the sail through this channel NOW because it is usually blocked with pack ice. Prins Christian Sund is 36 miles long and only 1140 feet wide, and only 240 yards wide where it is most narrow, less than the length of our ship which is 936 feet long. The mountains on each side of the ship are 5000 feet high & higher, especially as we neared the end of the channel and they soared high above us—on the top of one of them, it was SNOWING!!! Actually snowing in September! Six outlet glaciers extend into the sea on the north side of the channel. The total length of our channel sailing today was over 80 miles and I was there to see all of it as I dared not leave the deck for fear of missing something.

If this had been the only thing on the entire itinerary for this cruise, it would have been worth the price. I found me a special place on the ship in the aft where the heating vents for the ovens are and I stayed there to get warm and popped out to take pictures and hurried back. That way I never got cold. The scenery here is incredible and 10 times better than in Alaska. What a great day!

Pictures will have to come much later, I am afraid, as I took almost 800 yesterday and Ray took almost 200, so it will take a while to go through them.

Pictures from top: scenery outside Lido dining room during lunch; remote village of Aappilattoq—in the last picture, you can barely make out the little village tucked away underneath the mountains.